Zayn Malik slips out of his family’s home after spending some time with them in London, England on Friday afternoon (March 27).

The 22-year-old former One Direction singer returned home after announcing his departure from the band to pursue a solo career earlier in the week.

“It is crazy and wild and a bit mad. But at the same time I’ve never felt more in control in my life,” Zayn shared in a recent interview. “And I feel like I’m doing what’s right – right by myself and right by the boys, so I feel good…My band has been really supportive. They’ve been cool about it. And they understand that, you know, it’s not real to me anymore.”

Zayn‘s fiancee Perrie Edwards is also pictured below, heading to a few meetings on Thursday afternoon (March 26).

The 22-year-old singer opened up about his decision with The Sun (via People), confirming that his fiancee Perrie Edwards is “very supportive” and that he’s been working on his own music for some time.

Here’s what else Zayn had to share:

On quitting the band: “It is crazy and wild and a bit mad. But at the same time I’ve never felt more in control in my life. And I feel like I’m doing what’s right – right by myself and right by the boys, so I feel good…My band has been really supportive. They’ve been cool about it. And they understand that, you know, it’s not real to me anymore.”

On wanting to leave: “I did try to do something that I wasn’t happy doing for a while, for the sake of other people’s happiness.”

On the Directioners: “I feel like I’ve let the fans down but I can’t do this anymore. It’s not that I’ve turned my back on them or anything, it’s just that I just can’t do that anymore because it’s not the real me.”

One of the guys who more or less helped discover Zayn Malik is now speaking out about his departure from One Direction.

X Factor UK judge Louis Walsh opened up about the 22-year-old singer’s decision and how it likely had something to do with fiance Perrie Edwards.

“What I found in the past is as things get on, and as they get girlfriends, the girlfriends are whispering things in their ears and saying like, ‘You should be a solo star,’ ‘You should be the lead singer.’ That’s usually the problem,” Louis told Ireland’s RTE Radio One (via E! News).

When asked if he thinks Perrie is the new Yoko Ono, he said, “Yeah, it happens in every band. Happens in every band in the whole world. But they’ve had an amazing five years.”